As used in this patent, the term “machinegun” is intended as a general term. It includes all portable self-loading firearms that have a cocking slide for manually reloading the weapon. This cocking slide may not be solidly connected with the bolt, but may instead be moved back into its resting position away from the bolt before firing a shot in order to avoid interference with the shooting process.
Positional terms such as “rear” or “top”, “right” or “left” are used in this patent with reference to a weapon positioned in a shooting position, That is, with reference to a weapon positioned to shoot “forward” (i.e., away from the shooter), in a generally horizontal plane.
A machinegun of the type stated above is known from DE-PS 972 985.
The MG 42, which is still in use at the present time, is an additional example. In that weapon, the cocking slide has a loading handle. When the loading handle is in a resting position, the handle is folded up against the casing. In this position, the handle engages with a projection on the casing such that the cocking slide is clamped in place. The loading handle of the cocking slide may be folded back out of the resting position and away from the casing by being grasped and pulled by the marksman with sufficient force to release the handle from the casing. After being so released, the cocking slide may be moved rearward by means of the handle by a distance sufficient to permit the safety catch to reach the catch unit of the trigger device. If the bolt is locked in place by the catch unit of the trigger device, then the loading handle may be released and the cocking slide may then independently return back into its forward position. Once in the forward position, the handle can be folded into its resting position again. The movement of the bolt during the subsequent shooting of the weapon is, thus, not impaired by the handle.
Known light machineguns or universal machineguns, including the MG 42 noted above, often have a mechanism (the so-called “belt guiding device”) for removing cartridges from the belt during the shooting process. The moving parts of this belt guiding device are seated in a cover which must be opened in order to insert the cartridge belt.
In the event of a jam, the marksman employs the cocking slide to draw the bolt rearward, returns the cocking slide to the resting position, and then attempts to resume shooting. If this is not possible, then the marksman routinely opens the cover of the belt guiding device, removes the cartridge belt, and attempts to restore the bolt of the weapon to its rearward position. The reason for the jam must then be found or eliminated.
Jams in which the bolt only moves slightly forward from its rearmost position despite an activated trigger device are possible. In such circumstances, the bolt is held in an intermediate position between its rearmost and forwardmost positions. If the marksman attempts to remove the cause of the jam, such as a foreign body, with the bolt held in an intermediate (jammed) position, then removal of the jam can release the bolt such that the bolt moves forward under spring force. The marksman can be severely injured by this sudden forward movement of the bolt.
It is particularly unpleasant if the cartridge being guided jams in such a manner that the jammed cartridge releases upon removal of the cartridge belt. In such circumstances, the bolt, which may also be released by the removal of the cartridge belt, may now move this cartridge forward and possibly fire it. Despite these potentially adverse consequences, the removal of the cartridge belt is necessary for any additional activity to un-jam the weapon.
Since the bolt is only securable by the trigger device, securing the weapon does not eliminate the problem noted above. In particular, by the time the jam occurs, the bolt has typically already left its rearmost position (i.e., the position the bolt occupies before firing the weapon), and, thus, the bolt can no longer be secured by the trigger device.
To avoid the problems noted above, the marksman must first move the bolt into its rearmost position by means of the cocking slide such that the bolt is secured by the trigger mechanism. Only after the bolt is well secured can the cover be safely opened. From time to time, however, it is not possible to move the bolt back to its rearmost position. For example, the clamping cartridge may block the belt guiding device thereby precluding rearward movement of the bolt. In particular, since the movement of the belt guiding device is coupled with the movement of the bolt, if the belt guiding device is stopped at a position, then the bolt is also prevented from moving.
Moreover, such a jam only occurs during shooting of the weapon, which may be when the machinegun is absolutely needed. The time that is available for the elimination of a jam is accordingly extremely short. There is, therefore, little sense in providing training in carrying out safe, but time-consuming, locking measures for the elimination of such a jam during peacetime, because the marksman does not in that case learn the skills that he urgently needs during actual use of the weapon in hostile situations.
With shooting weapons such as the G3 gun, for example, there is often no possibility of firmly holding the bolt in a position other than the forwardmost position. It is still possible, however, for the bolt to catch in a position to the rear of its forwardmost position during a jam. If a finger is inserted through the ejection aperture and into the weapon in order to determine the reason for a jam, and the bolt is then triggered, the finger can be clamped very badly.